Andhra Pradesh

Currently, the Mumbai-based solar EPC firm is executing 134.5 MWp project capacity to be commissioned by September 2019. It expects to surpass cumulative installation of 350 MWp by the end of FY 2019-20.

Spanish-German renewable energy developer Siemens Gamesa—which developed India’s first wind/solar hybrid plant—has commissioned over 400 MW solar capacity in India.

In response to feedback from the domestic renewable energy sector, the Indian government has revealed plans to launch $5 billion of tenders for new transmission lines, starting in phases from this summer.

The state has decided to withdraw almost all incentives available to open access solar, including exemption from electricity duty and distribution losses for projects injecting power at 33 kV or below. The policy reversal—clearly to appease state discoms—is likely to impact capacity addition.

Delhi based Avanze Inventive will set up the Lithium-ion cells manufacturing unit in the state of Andhra Pradesh with the help of the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB). The plant, with total size of 1 GW, will entail a total investment of Rs 1800 crore (US$ 256 million).

The chief executive of Britain’s Proinso suggested slashing the length of power supply contracts from 25 to just five years could be a significant setback for Indian solar, and said the solution could be a hybrid agreement incorporating fixed and spot prices.

Hard-up distribution companies say they are not reaping the benefits of falling renewable energy generation costs because 25-year deals tie them to paying power prices which now appear unjustifiably high.

Following New Delhi based Urja Global, Singapore-based Ojovati and another Delhi-based company Avanze Inventive have signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for manufacturing of Lithium-ion cells and batteries in the state, respectively.

New Delhi based Urja Global will set up an integrated plant for electric vehicles and Lithium-ion batteries at an investment of Rs 200 crore. The announcement comes hot on the heels of US-based Tecchren Batteries’ Lithium-ion venture in the state.

There is widespread doubt about whether India can achieve its 100 GW solar target by 2022 but, having started from a base of only 9 MW of capacity 10 years ago, it would be foolish to write off the prospects of this solar superpower.